EU SLAPS $2.7 BN FINE ON GOOGLE FOR FAVOURING ITS OWN SERVICE

BRUSSELS: European Union anti trust regulators hit Alphabet unit Google with a record 2.42-billion-euro ($2.7 billion) fine on Tuesday for illegally favouring its own online shopping service in its search results.

The move indicates the European regulators will likely take a tough line with the Silicon Valley giant in two other ongoing cases.

The EU said the world’s most popular internet search engine has 90 days to stop favouring its own shopping service or face a further penalty of up to 5% of Alphabet’s average daily global turnover.

The commission found Google systematically giving its own comparison shopping service prominent placement in search results, demoting those of rivals.

“What Google has done is illegal under EU antitrust rules. It denied other companies the chance to compete on the merits and to innovate. And most importantly, it denied European consumers a genuine choice of services and the full benefits of innovation,” European Competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in a statement.